Prescient?

Hmm, I am not usually willing to make statements of my political leanings, nor am I usually willing to address current events, but on our vacation we saw this bunch of stickers on the back of a sign.  It had been there for awhile...and we were just discussing the oil spill in the gulf.  I thought, perhaps, this was a timely photo.  I must state that I am saddened and horror stricken at what has happened in the gulf.

Below is last night's dinner. This is a beef-green bean stir fry.  

It turned out OK, but next time I would blanch the green beans.

Tonight was grilled Steak, grilled zucchini, grilled crookneck squash, and grilled corn on the cob.  It was wonderful...however, it did not last very long...and it definitely did not last long enough for a photo...alas.

I am looking forward to the extended weekend.  I hope you all have a good one, too.

Sunday Returns!

So, one of my main goals was to sell the cars.  Or at least get them posted on Craig's List...still haven't done that...but I have a few hours before the weekend is officially over.  These, after all, will fund my camera purchase!  Anyone want a car?  Or perhaps they just want to continue viewing stunning images on the internet?  You can be a part of it, simply by putting a twenty dollar bill in the mail and addressing it to me!  I promise to take TONS of pictures!

Here are yet more flowers...I hope you people don't tire of them, because I never tire of taking them...we have some pretty flowers!

I cleaned out the shed and found our camping stuff.  It was something of an adventure, though particularly dusty.  I must have sneezed a hundred times.  I cleaned out some empty boxes we have been keeping, you know, you make a new purchase and keep the box just in case?  We do too.  Except we keep them for years since we forget about them in the shed...oops.

I found the camping stuff.  It was...dusty.  We had food in there...canned stuff, it isn't as though we kept bread in there...from 2006.  Still, we cleaned it out and cleaned the camping stuff and I think we are going to be ok!!  Our camping trip to the beach is gonna rock!  I can't wait!  Our plan is to do what we want.  The dogs are going and we just plan on sitting around roasting marshmallows and reading and drinking coffee and being lazy.  We'll play on the beach.  We'll fly kites and I might use my metal detector and we're just gonna relax!  it's been four years since we went camping last!

I made dinner tonight.  It was chicken.  Cora suggested it.  I barbecued it after slicing it in half and seasoning it with a variety of spices.  I sliced up a bell pepper and grilled the whole batch.  I then made a salsa/relish with red onion, some long green pepper, Cilantro, and tomato, with a little cumin thrown in with the lime juice.  We threw those on an onion bun and it made a really nice dinner!!

Here's the salsa...

It was YUMMY!!

Now, I need a job...but this is the last full week of school, and unless there are some completely horrible disasters, I don't expect that I will be working much...though I hope I WILL!!!

Any photos of our trip will be via our paltry Canon Elph...which I love, but it ISN'T a DSLR!!  :-)

Weekend Projects

Cora and I, both, have been working on the place.  We added some sidewalk to help with the dog trails.  Cora, it turns out, is pretty handy with a trowel.

We decided we could put the siding on the back side of the shed with little trouble...yeah, right.

We had to dig out some dirt as the shed has settled over the past few centuries.  SO much so that it has kid of a wavy appearance from this side.

Which makes for some...ahhh...creative carpentry.

And, to top it off, the weather decided NOT to cooperate.  the picture below shows me trying to get the last couple nails in before I knock it off...note I am already semi-soaked.

Cora did not fare any better...she had not planned for a wet tee-shirt contest and so was ill prepared.

We still managed to put a smile on for the camera.

below is the splash back that happened when it started raining.  That siding was clean minutes before!

And here you can see the water cascading off the roof.

We made it back to the house, but were soaked through.  Now we plan on spending the last few hours of the holiday being lazy...

Day Two

I was a little reluctant to begin work today, owing mostly to the sore muscles I got yesterday.  I went ahead and began work on the step.

Here you see Sully...he likes to watch the birds come and go from our bird feeders!

Below you will see the continuing results of my work, and also, Pepper.

We had lemon, butter, garlic, pepper chicken...Mmmm-mmm good!

and the requisite flower photo...

I have two more pours to make tomorrow...I spent a good deal of time trying to relax, but I also felt the need to be working...ahh, conflicting aims!  I took a hot bath at about 2 pm to battle the spread of sore muscles...it helped and I was able to begin the form for tomorrow's pours...

Hopefully this weekend will be remembered as the weekend that we made this place look good, rather than the weekend of sore muscles.

Happy Memorial Day Weekend!

We have been walking!  Here we are!

Our dinner last night was EXTREMELY awesome!  We had a Caribbean chicken dinner!  We let it marinate overnight.  It was...YUMMY!!

We worked on the yard today.  Cora mowed the lawn while I changed a tire and did a few other minor things like measure the shed for more siding!

We then went into town and purchased the assorted items for the homestead.  We got siding and concrete, both on sale!!!

So, we worked on the yard...well, we began digging and making forms.  It is going to be a long weekend.  It was hard to keep the dogs out of the area...we finally succeeded and poured the concrete.  Of course, we have several more pours to go...but it's a start!

We began dinner and while i was waiting for the coals to heat up, I took some pictures...here are some clematis with a function our old camera boasts!   I imagine a D90 would do better.

and take a look at this cloud!

I had several more, but I really think yiou want to see the cement!  Here it is!

Isn't it beautiful?  Of course, I am now officially exhaustipated.

I hope you all have a wonderful weekend!

Storms

The rains came the past few days.  As you can see, through my truck window, it is not particularly easy to see through.  This is because we live in a fricking desert and I need to change my wipers, but, since we DO live in a desert and won't get a large amount of rain until November, I have NOT gotten new wipers.  At this rate, it will rain all summer long.  As soon as I break and get new wipers, it will stop raining.  So, I refuse to get wipers.  Mother nature can just bite it.

The skies do have their beautiful sides!  I took these on the way home.

My beautiful truck!  A short time after the rains came that day, the sun popped out.

So, I went out and took a few pictures of our flowers.  Are you folks tired of seeing flower pictures yet?

Neither am I!

I think a Nikon D90 would do a much better job, don't you?  These are pictures from our Canon.  I touched them up a bit.

I hope you all have a very good weekend!  Be safe!  I expect we will be working outside if the weather is good to us.  We have big plans.  A sidewalk and the forms to go with them.  If the sales are right, we might be buying a bit more siding and some more concrete.  I don't know if we'll put the siding up, but with a good sale, you can't pass it up!

I need to deliver a few paintings and see if they are up to snuff...hopefully they are!  Maybe we'll play some Wii or watch some Netflix.  I love summer!

Cold beer will go a long way to make the yard work easier!  Be safe and have fun!

Accidental Shed

So, this eye sore disappeared.

Before:

After!

So, I began the weekend with the thought of putting the door in the shed and maybe putting in a tiny sidewalk addition.

I did not plan on THIS!!  But, WOW!  I am seriously proud of this!  Cora and I both worked hard on it today!  Cora worked just as hard as I did and deserves as much credit!

I began the morning considering putting a new sidewalk from the new door to the slab.  I had even put up string and stakes...but when I called Cora out for a consultation, one of us threw out the idea of siding.  I said I thought it would be easy (Can I just say, I am forever doing and saying things I later regret in some way or another-kinda like my mouth writing checks my body can't cash).  We jumped in the truck and went to the local home improvement store.

We got plenty of stuff and came back and we got to work.  Six hours later this is what had appeared in our back yard!  It was completely accidental.  We had not planned on putting siding on the shed, it just happened!

Of course, we only put siding on the side toward the house.  It's like having a whole new shed!  It's frickin' awesome!!!!  

My entire body is vehemently complaining about the past two days.  I lead a very sedentary life, and, although I am capable of strenuous activity, I generally avoid it.  Apparently for good reason.  This HURTS!!!!  There are approximately 500 muscles in my body that are on strike in one form or another.  What?  You don't think the human body HAS 500 muscles?  I just looked it up.  It has between 650 and 850 muscles!  So my five hundred are making an uproar.  Those that aren't are just too tired to even do THAT!

Shed Door Done!

So, like I was saying, I planned on putting a door in our old shed.  Here it is with the hole enlarged so I can put the door in.

And then I put some framing in after taking careful measurements and making a run to Lowes and the dump...actually, I went to the dump twice.

Something about my measurements was off a bit.  I had to...adjust the frame.  All-in-all, though, I think it turned out pretty good.  Sure, it's no piece of art, but it works!  It shuts and it opens and it hasn't fallen out!

To say I am pooped would be an understatement.  To say I am exhausted might be to belittle the work I did today.  OK, I am exhaustipated.

I remember days spent slinging hammer and pounding nails.  I worked with my dad for a couple years.  I developed nice forearms when I was younger.  I could sling that hammer all day long.  Of course, often it was used in an attempt to fasten my father to a roof, but you should REALLY try to have fun at work, right?  Usually, he was able to attach me to the roof more often.  That doesn't mean I didn't try, though.  It has been SO long though, since I used a hammer for any amount of time that I have a feeling my forearms will be sore for a few days.  It was worth it, though!

Now I will be able to access the contents of the shed!!  There is some concrete in there and I plan on laying sidewalk in the next week or two.  There is much to be done!  I like having projects...keeps your mind off other things.

Oh, and as for jobs?  I have the majority of the next two weeks filled!  Awesome, huh?

Shed Door

When we bought our house, it had a shed for storage out next to the alley.  It's a very old shed.  It predates the house itself by decades...6 or 7 perhaps.  The door is accessible from the alley side of our 6 foot fence, placed there for a combination of privacy and to keep the dog in.  So, for the past ten years, if I wanted to put something in storage, I had to either open the large gates that allow cars inside the yard or I had to put it in the truck and drive it around.

Most of the time, the effort required to manipulate the gate made me decide on using the truck.  We have been wanting to put a door in the shed that allows access from the yard.  We have two exterior doors in storage, and plan to use those for the shed.

I have simply put it off.  I'm lazy. 

Well, two weekends ago, I grew tired of going around through the alley to put stuff in the shed.

I own a Skilsaw.  An electric saw that is usually used for cutting wood that has not been made into something yet.  You know, like 2X4s and stuff.  It can also be used to cut into flat surfaces.  Like walls.

One of the reasons I have put it off is that fact that my father is a carpenter and usually makes putting things in, like doors, look easy.  It might have something to do with something along the lines of fifty years experience doing such things.  I just figure he could do it better and faster.  Well, it comes down to us all having to schedule such things.

I put scheduling things off, too.

So, two weekends ago, I took my Skilsaw and created a hole in the wall of the shed about 18 inches wide and 36 inches tall.  Large enough for me to get through without too much effort and also, small enough to cover up.

Well, this is the weekend!  I am going to make a trip to the dump, taking with me all of the yard refuse that has piled up and needs to go.  Then I am going to come back and cut an even larger hole in the side of the shed and put in the door.

I know it won't be as pretty as something my father could do, but, by gawd, how hard can it be?  Of course, he is only 30 miles away...so if I find myself too far in...I can always call for help.      

I also plan on making some concrete forms for an extension of our sidewalk.  This will, hopefully, prevent the dog from wearing a path into the grass in that general area.  we have a sizable number of bags of concrete that I bought on sale from one of the box stores years ago...in storage.  In the shed.

ALL of this will be made easier by having a door to the shed.  Eventually, we will put electricity in there and I hope to put in a few benches to be used as a shop/fix-it area...ah, I love plans.

Now, how do I pry myself off my chair and begin this wonderful plan?

Summer Already?

So, this weekend was spent in a variety of ways.  Including: Cleaning, Yard work, and being sick.  Yes, somewhere, somehow, someone gave me the gift that keeps on giving.  I got a cold.  I think I am recovering now, though.  Saturday was, by far, the worst.

I was doing fine.  We had cleaned out the sewing room, which in the past three months had become that catch-all room that we all have.  Cora and I differ from most people, though, in that we have four to five of those rooms.  Anyway, it was sometime after noon and all of a sudden I began to feel like I had been climbing a mountain.  I began to feel as though I had run a marathon and then gotten hit by a truck.  I soon found myself laying down and taking a nap after medicating myself with cold meds.

On the bright side, we had made a good dent on that room and Cora could now walk in there.  We worked more on it yesterday.  I felt much better yesterday and managed to do some yard work and make some plans for the old homestead on top of helping Cora some more with her room and going grocery shopping.

Last night, after mowing the lawn and expanding my network of little black watering tubes to include the new side garden, we sat back and relaxed for a little while.  We realized we were outside, enjoying the weather and it was already 7:30!  We had grilled chicken on salad for dinner and enjoyed each other's company.  The weather, the company, and the fact that I was feeling much better made it a good weekend!

The weatherman mentioned that he expects us to be in the 80s by Friday...looks like Summer's a coming!

Maybe today's post should have been "Summer!  All Ready?"

Ah, This Is The Life

A Friend that Cora went to school with asked me if I would make some paintings for their new addition.  We went over and looked at their new addition, which was awesome, and I made some suggestions.  So, I began working on the paintings today.  She wanted what we have above our door, but in colors more complimentary to their decor.  I began with large shapes and worked down in an over-lapping pattern.  Have a look.  The top picture is the earliest picture.  The second picture is how i left them when I stopped for dinner.

It's been a good day.  We went shopping for a bit.  Then we came home.  Cora began playing her late Christmas present.  I bought her "Endless Ocean II" for the Wii as a late Christmas present.  I had planned on buying it for her in January, but they pushed the release date back by two months!   So, finally, I got her that late gift and she began playing it.  Here Toby has taken ownership of her lap, deciding that complete deflation was appropriate, while she plays her new game.

Cora made dinner while I was painting.  She made Beef Stroganoff...she makes the home-made kind and I know I am totally spoiled, because YUMMMM!!!  It was awesome!

I decided that a picture of the happy couple was necessary!  

It's been a good weekend.  I started by seeing my newest niece.  Continued by taking the dogs up for a walk and then saw a movie.  Today we went shopping and then just enjoyed each other's company...This is why I wish weekends were longer.  Tomorrow I will be teaching first graders.  I'm looking forward to it, but I would not turn down another day with my beautiful wife.

Life is good.

ISS Watch

Cora saw on the news last night that the International Space Station could be seen clearly last night at 7:22pm, unfortunately she forgot about it until about 8:15pm.  So, being the bright person I am I looked it up on-line.  The NASA site said we might be able to see it at about 9:00pm, so out we went in coats and pajamas to see the ISS.  Well, I should have taken a little time to try to understand the way to locate the orbiting object, because we didn't see it.  I did however snap the picture above.  You can just make out Cora's smile.  The next time the ISS will be over at a nice time and good angle above us will be tomorrow night, about 6:40pm.  So, guess where we will be tomorrow night?  Yep, out trying to see the ISS sail overhead.  Yeah, we're weird.

The weather was crazy-nice today.  I worked in the yard.  Not that I did much.  Cora deep-cleaned our bedroom and our master bathroom (why do we call it that?  It's obviously NOT a master bathroom, because I would expect a MASTER bathroom to have a dive-in bathtub and a toilet with a seat warmer and drink holder...and maybe a mini-fridge with a flat screen TV...and...well, you get the idea).  I, on the hand, raked up some of the dead plants and leaves and dog crap.  I also cleaned out the garden.  I surveyed where we will put the rest of the garden this year (Expansion Program funded by our stomachs) and took measurements for the flower garden expansion that is planned for this year for the front yard.  

The weather was BEAUTIFUL!!!!  GORGEOUS!!!!  I had to go into town, so I drove with the windows down!  It was awesome.  I saw an old friend who I almost didn't recognize because she was in a new ride!  I waved and smiled and went on my way!  

The sky was beautiful!  Have a look below!

What does tomorrow hold?  Who cares?  Today was awesome!  I think we will work some more on the house.  Maybe some more one the lawn, but I don't know.  I have been threatening to take her to a movie...maybe we will do that.  Dunno for sure.

I wrote a post on my airplane blog.  Give it a look if you like!  

Jimh.

And Then There Were Eight...

But, unlike the TV show of the 1970s, eight is never enough.  We counted last night and noted that, setting aside books that have been purchased, we are down to eight left!  How awesome is that!?!?  We will just have to make another printing.  OH! and good news!  I have finished the Transportation series.  There are twenty-five cars, trucks, airplanes, tractors, boats, and trains ready to be made into a coloring book in the next few days!

It is hard to believe our little idea has met such acceptance.  I did not think we'd sell the first 25 to be honest.  Of course, that was before the reports, via e-mail, fan mail, phone calls, and direct observation of just how much the  proud new owners of my coloring books enjoy their books.  I hope, if you haven't already, you'll click on over and have a look at what I am talking about.

Yesterday, we went grocery shopping.  It was nice to get out for awhile, but we never seem to get everything done that we'd like to.  Alas, the weekend was over too fast.

I did begin a post for my airplane blog.  I stopped when I needed more source material.  I wrote a quick email to a gentleman that works for the USAF and viola, this morning's email had some more information on the airplane I was writing about!  How awesome is that?  It helps that I have discovered a nifty way to use Google that allows me to view newspapers from years ago!  Still, you would think a jet aircraft falling from the skies would be a bigger deal and maybe someone would put it in a newspaper!  Apparently the people of Spokane are made of sterner stuff, though!  Or, maybe I just need to expand my search parameters.

Well, I should get ready for another day teaching math, or, rather, watching the students do math that I can't...at least without finding a friend smarter than me or realizing that there is very little use for it in my life and throwing my hands up in the air in disgust and walking away.

Baseball Weekend! Err...what's that?

It's a FOOTBALL weekend?  REALLY?

So, I am sure some of you out there are just enjoying the heck out of your tailgate parties.  I know you have been preparing all week for the sweet par-tay that is coming this afternoon.  I know you have been aching for Sunday to come, because it can't come too soon.  I do hope you enjoy yourselves.  But, may I remind you what day follows Sunday?  Yeah, that's right, Monday!

We have no such plans.  No invitations and no party here.  Wouldn't matter if we did.  Cora has had THE most hard hitting cold she has had in quite a long time.  It has totally knocked her on her sweet little kiester.  To say she has been miserable would be a crime of understatement for which one might do hard time.  I have been doing my best to keep her comfortable, but she has had a sore throat that has not gone away!  She has not had the pleasure of tasting my cooking much at all!  She has, instead, sought refuge in ice cream, cough drops, 7up, and cough drops.  But, don't worry, I am taking good care of her and she should be up and at 'em for game time.  (Ok, that's not true, but I just wanted you guys to know I am still taking care of her, feeding and watering...you know, letting her outside when she has to go pooh...err, wait, that's wrong, she takes care of herself, mostly.  Still, I'm here to make sure she's ok)

I did get to some house cleaning yesterday...no not the hard stuff.  I did the dishes, cleaned the kitchen a little and did some clothes.  Mostly, though, I also managed to write a blog for my aircraft site.  Which is something of a good thing, since I haven't posted a real accident report for about two months.  If for some reason you feel all crazy and want to read a real story about real men and real aircraft, you can see it here.

I think I will go out and get some minor groceries today and throw in some chips for the sake of the game.  let me see if I remember who's playing.  It's the Horsies and the Preachers...no, that's not right...Bolts and the Paints?  Hmmm, well, who ever is playing, I hope your team wins!

I have a niece or nephew that should be peeking into this world sometime soon.  Yesterday was the due date, but we have not heard anything.  I am certain we will, when it does happen.  Looking forward to seeing you little one.

This coming week I will be teaching 5th graders all week down in the valley.  I have taught this class several times before and for some odd reason, they are fond of me...sometimes that's a good thing, sometimes, not so much.  I just hope I won't be having to teach them calculus or anything hard.  Drawings can only go so far.

I just looked over in the fish tank and saw my maroon clown, Marvin, carrying a piece of gravel out from his adopted area.  It is fun to watch him clean house.  He will nip a piece of offending algae and then move it to the opposite side of the tank, or he will move gravel.  He will come right up to the glass and be in your line of sight, preventing you from clearly seeing other things.  If you put your hand in the tank to move something, he is right there to investigate.  Yesterday, I wasn't paying attention to him and all of a sudden he head butted me.  It didn't hurt, but it sure as heck surprised me!  I splashed some water trying to get my hand away from my unseen attacker, only to see Marvin doing a fishy approximation of chuckles.  It is really fun to see such personality in a fish.

Well, I guess I'd better get dressed for town and grab my list if I want to be back for the pre-game...

Oh, and one final thought:  Happy Birthday Dad!

Weekend Bites the Dust

I remember a Queen song from the early eighties, it went "Another one bites the dust..." I also remember my cousins running that song backwards and hearing it say something that may have sounded like: Wah-shmoo-schna-Smoke Marijuana, or it could have been Was-smoo-sna-smo-kee-mar-eewa-nana...either way it was spooky shit for a nine year old. Of course, I digress. Yet, the idea of the weekend biting the dust, a phrase usually describing something dying without a spark of hope, totally fits the end of this weekend.

Where did it go? I could tell you what we've done. I could explain in excruciating detail, and yet, you might ask, "why didn't that take longer?" Hell, I'd ask the same question...wait, I AM asking the same question. Where the hell did it go? REALLY!! It doesn't seem like we spent any time on anything!

Cora did the taxes and started the process of renewing our immigration documents and home study...both of those were depressing. Basically: before doing taxes and the home study renewal, we thought we were poor and had no money to spend, but now there's no doubt. Like Cora said, Yea US!

We went to the tri-cities today to return something to a store down there. Also we got to visit with her sister and brother-in-law. I got some time in the book store and she got to walk through the mall with her sis. As usual, the tri-cities was sunny and warm...at least compared to our little piece of heaven.

Still, the weekend went WAY too fast. Tomorrow, I get to teach middle-schoolers again. I will be giving out tests tomorrow. I just hope that one of them does eat another's hair. That's what happened Friday. Without getting into specifics, let's just say it was a mildly uncomfortable experience for everyone, except the hair-eating child, who seemed to think there was nothing unusual about that.

In fact, the child indicated that the hair from that particular classmate tasted really good. One assumes the hair-eating child has done some research into who's hair tastes best. I still prefer not to give any credence to this research as it may be unethical...no use giving support to those without ethics.

On that note, I leave you to ponder the nutrition of human hair.

Electronic Rights

Phooey on you! Stupid copyrights people! I bought a song a few months ago. LEGALLY. I wanted to listen to it last night, but my music player told me I no longer had the usage rights for it. Nowhere in the stuff I looked at when I was downloading it did it say you are paying for temporary usage rights. The site I download it from said that the problem may be temporary or may be permanent. Basically, they no longer have the rights to distribute the song. But they did a few months ago...when I bought it.

I think the US recording industry, the copyrights, and these frickin' "legal" sites need to get together and realize that people are more likely to illegally download songs if the legal means is unfairly...well, just plain ridiculous. I am telling you, if the recording industry wants my money, they'd better let me listen to what I buy when I want, where I want!

OK. Off my soap box.

So, it snowed last night. It was enough to elevate my mood. The flakes were coming down and you could actually hear it. A sort of muted white noise. It was all very peaceful. I had been experiencing a bit of adoption blues right before that, but some of that washed away when I stepped out on the porch to view the wonder of nature that was falling on the world around me. This was all very nice until...

The wind began to blow a frigid arctic blast that took the snow which had managed to collect on the ground and blew it to somewhere, and I am guessing here, in Idaho. I believe the house moved a couple feet to the west, too.

Today, I will brave the cold and go out and get some of our decorations. I will also give the house a bit of a cleaning...depending on the amount of energy I am able to exert without depleting my reserves. Cora will probably be working on a dress. Right now, though, I am very interested in creating an edible work of art...that is breakfast or an early lunch.

Yes, I will start with some food first.

Weekend Work

We worked on the house this weekend! There was some fun, too, though. We cleaned the house but we also watched some movies. Starting Friday, we went to New Moon. Saturday, while we were cleaning we watched a few movies, too. We watched Star Trek, the new movie, for the second time in a week. We also watched some other movies, but the main thing is, I think the new Star Trek has taken its place amongst its brethren.

The house is almost there. I think we will be ready for Thanksgiving Day and a whole mess of family. Cora did some cooking and food prep and I helped. We cleaned at the house, floors and more.

I rearranged one of the fish tanks a bit, in hopes of getting the smaller Skunk Clown to stop picking on my Maroon Clown. Most sources say that Maroons are pretty plucky, but mine must be a pacifist.

I managed to contact the son of a pilot that died in an aircraft crash. I am hoping to get more information from this man concerning his father. His father was a highly decorated pilot in Vietnam. I hope to write the article in the coming weeks.

I work in EV twice this week. I am looking forward to it! Hopefully, I can pick up another job this week.

Gypsy began limping around on Saturday morning. She won't put weight on her right back leg. She did not move much Saturday, but Sunday she began to move around a bit more. Still, Cora plans to take her in to the vet to figure out what's wrong. We all hope it will be something simple (and let me honest, CHEAP).

blahhhh!

I have not posted much lately. I guess I have just been lazy. Well, we DID get our phones, and at least one evening was spent tying to get them to cooperate with us. I finally figured out how to connect it to the computer. I can now transfer files from the phone to my computer and back again. HURRAY!

When I went in and picked them up on Wednesday, they told me I could not get the data plan. Well, not until the end of the billing cycle. Otherwise we would get charged for the entire month of data usage...they don't pro-rate...which totally sucks. So, we are stuck with hones that are just phones...well, not really, our phones are also video cameras, still cameras, PDAs, and hand held gaming devices. On a really bad day, they could even substitute as a throwing weapon...

I promised the boss I would work the first week of school for him in maintenance. I did not expect any teachers to be sick the first week of school...boy was I wrong. I got requested to work the entire week by one teacher. I think there was a death in the family and I felt bad that I could not help. Oh, well, in the long run, at least I am working!

We got some news on the adoption...mostly good, in that it is progressing, but no specific time table, which is not good.

Today we are just sort of relaxing. I think we'll go into town today and probably go to North Bend to get me some new clothes for teaching sometime this weekend.

Finally Friday!

What to do with the weekend? I am not sure. I suppose I could take a day and go wreckchasing, but I hate to just leave for a whole day when there are things to be done at the house.

Maybe I can just go for a short forray toward Zillah and find some old people to talk to about the gunnery range there...hmmm, or find out where "Mrs. Ted Johnson" lived in 1945...an airplane went down not too far away and I am itching to discover where exactly. Wonder if Zillah has a Museum or a historical society...guess I'd better do some research.

Today, well, it's Friday!!! I love Fridays. That means the Weekend is within reach.

It has been warm in the afternoons and cool in the mornings this week. Yesterday was the first time I wore full length pants in probably two months. Not that you need that info, but I thought it was an interesting insight on my sense of summer fashion.

Well, I need to head for work and see what needs to be done today...for some reason, I suspect I will find myself used for hard labor...hope not.

Friday!

Not much has been hppening. I tried to call the Ageny yesterday, but the agency head was "on the phone" and would have to call me back..he never did. I will be calling again today to make sure he has not forgotten how annoying I can be when he has not talked to me for awhile.

It's been a pretty good week. I went to bed really early last night...and could have slept longer this morning. I am definitely getting tired of moving furniture, boxes, and whatever else the school needs moved. Weird stuff, too, sometimes.

Well, I need to get moving, but I hope everyone has a good weekend. I want to do something...different.